The government’s new hospital program does not appear to be ready to meet its targets, putting the future of some healthcare at risk, a damning report has found.
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee says it is not confident the UK government will deliver the 32 new hospitals promised by 2030.
And his report warns that some hospitals may have to close before their replacements are ready, due to the crisis of unsafe autoclave reinforced concrete (RAAC) in buildings.
The committee accuses the government of attacking capital budgets for day-to-day spending without considering the long-term consequences for patient care, adding that the new build program is suffering as a result .
He also criticizes the time it takes for a new standardized design, known as Hospital 2.0, which the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) wants to use throughout the program. He warns that the time spent on finalizing the design is eroding his supposed cost and benefits from the delivery schedule.
The footprint envisioned in Design 2.0 may also be too small for future hospital needs, the committee notes. echoing a warning from the National Audit Office (NAO) in July.
And the report also says that the plan to use 2.0 for the seven hospitals to be rebuilt due to the presence of the RAAC is “questionable” given the urgency of the necessary works.
“The severity of the RAAC problem and the need to complete these reconstructions by 2030 creates a strong case for acquiring and building the seven hospitals using traditional methods, even if this means not fully complying with the still incomplete Hospital 2.0 design,” he said. he says
In May, it was announced that five hospitals would be rebuilt under the program because of their risk of collapse as a result of the presence of the RAAC. This is in addition to two RAAC-containing installations already in the program list. Subsequently, a total of 22 NHS bodies they reported that their buildings contained the expired material throughout their lifetime.
Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, said: “The physical edifice that is the NHS is literally crumbling before our eyes.
“Apart from the fact that the planned new hospitals are at risk of being too small for future purposes, there doesn’t even seem to be funding to build them on time, all underpinned by errors in basic record keeping and new concerns and urgent about RAAC.”
The DHSC has been approached for comment.
The Public Accounts Committee also notes a lack of transparency in the selection of the 32 hospitals for the program, a problem similar to what it had identified in a previous investigation into the awarding principles of the Department for Leveling, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). leveling funding grants to underserved areas of the country.
A separate report published today by the NAO finds that DLUHC leveling projects are behind where they were expected to be and are likely to miss their targets.
Through the Cities Fund and the Leveling Fund, the department has distributed subsidies to projects “at the point of shoveling”. But the report finds that as of March 2023, 50% of the major construction contracts for Round 1 projects of the Leveling Fund due in March 2024 remain unsigned.
This is also the case for 85% of the projects in the second round of the Equalization Fund, which will have to be delivered in March 2025.
The NAO notes, however, that the department has recently improved its oversight of the funds.
A DLUHC spokesman said the figures in the report were out of date. They added: “Major regeneration projects take time to deliver, but a number of projects have been completed.
“This includes the redevelopment of Farnworth Leisure Center in Bolton, delivered as part of a £13.3m commitment to Bolton Council through the Future High Streets Fund.
“Thanks to the Towns Fund too, the Ingenium Center in Darlington and a digital tech factory in Norwich have opened their doors.”
